The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1887-03-31
III RDERFD HIMSELF.

MURDERED HIMSELF.
About half mile from the village of
Oposura, Mexico facing the high road,
and separated from the river Gagua by
belt of trees, there stood some wears
ago a long, low cottage known as La
Bolsa. Seuor Rodriguez, who was
sguaroiy-built, clean-shaven man of
about 40. with gray hair, mustache and
goatee, and with nothing remarkable
about him except deep cut over his
right eyebrow, had now been occupy
| ing the cottage for a little over year.
Considerable speculation was INDUCED
in as to whom Rodriguez was and what
he did for a living. He never volun-
teercd any information on the score,
but on one occasion he was heard to
say something which led to the infer
ence that he had been a sea captain,
and on the strength Of it the residents
| OF the village called him the captain.
About this time the captain had got
into trouble He owed his landlord
| and the village tradesmen in the neigh
borhood Of $500, and the patience Of
Allo NltNilipiN was iIttiIlN tAlI1ISLti,
when one day they received a letter
from the captain in which he wrote
that he would satisfy their claims on
the following Monday, as a legacy left
by distant relative had been paid in
to his account at the village bank
On Saturday the captain came into
town, met his landlord 5 son. chatted
pleasantly with the young man and in
vited him to accompany him to the
bank. lie remained at the bank about
ten minutes, and came out at the end
of that time, buttoning into the breast
pocket Of his coat y fat-looking pocket
book. He then went straight home,
after making few purchases and bid
ding the young man good-day.
On Sunday morning the villagers
were startled by the announcement
made BY the captains servant at the
police station that her master had been
murdered the night before and robbed.
E, The inspector and the whole available
police force Of the village, consisting
Of two policemen, set of for La Bolsa to
unCarth the mystery.
On reaching the building the win
dows aud doors in front were closed
and locked. On going round to the
back the door leading from the sitting
room to the garden, which 5loped down
to the river, WAS found To be open, and
on entering the sittiug-room drops of
blood were seen along the carpet be-
tween the staircase and the garden
door. On the staircase itself the drops
of blood were more frequent. The bed
room, however, was clearly the place
where the murder had been committed.
The table by the window had been
pushed out of its place; the only two
chairs in the room were lying on the
floor. The bed. which had not been
slept in, was deluged with blood, and
in the middle of it was a deep inden-
ton, as if a heavy body had been
pressed down upon it. A large clasp
knife, stained with blood was living
on the pillow, and by the door on the
floor was an open pocket-book. SO
| much the inspector saw at glance as
| he entered. He took the pocket-book
and looked carefully through it; it was
empty, but lying near it, and behind
the door, was piece of neatly-folded
paper. 1t had evidently fallen from
the pocket-book while the murderer
was emptying the contents. 1t was a
| half-sheet OF not, paper folded in
| three. and written on it were the num-
bers and value Of forty-two bank notes,
the total Of which amounted to $3.50.
/ Here was a clew at once. An officer
/ was Immediately dispatched to the vii
| laGo with the paper to inquire of the
| bank authorities whether those were
the numbers of the notes which had
been paid to the captain the day be-
fore. He also received orders to await
the arrival OF Capt. Salegria, a we'll
| known and daring Mexican detective,
i who was to arrive in the village at
! noon that day TO visit an old friend
| The bank identified the numbers on the
| paper as those Of the bank notes paid
the day before to the captain. The
money had been paid him by the bank
| in pursuance of au order contained in
letter on Saturday morning from one
| Of its CORES spondentS, Colez, Garcia &
Co, large firm doing an immense
| business with the United States
Further inquiries being made by the
| officer, it was ascertained that man,
who seemed 70 avoid observation, was
seen driving along the road early on
the morning Of the murder in vehicle
very much Of the style used in tha
! country. The man who drove the
mysterious man to where he could OBJ
tain stage which ran on the old Opo-
sra road, showed the bank bill which
the stranger had given him to change,
and il was found to be one Of those
! stolen from the captain.
From the indications outside. there
was no doubt that the murderer had
gone out Of the SitGng-room back
ward. dragging the body OF MS victim
| after him. Across the small grass
psos, so2 Asat wsS r~rvuss r~s se+s vi